Lala Land
by Ice Krystal
Summary: <html><head></head>People say I have a bad attitude, and that's why I didn't get to leave on my trainer journey like everyone else. Nope, instead I get stuck searching for my missing sister, dealing with psychotic cultists, and murderous Pokemon. Oh, and did I mention I have to fix all of this? I wish everything was just a dream.</html>
1. Prologue

**Lala Land **

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

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><p><em>I am changed now.<em>

The sunlight drifts through the tree branches, tinting everything with a pale golden hue. Wild pokemon are everywhere—mostly in hiding. Pidgey and spearow are perched in the trees, and the occasional ratatta or sentret darts between bushes. I can smell the pungent pine trees, and the sweet flowers of the berry bushes and apricorn trees. It is spring, after all. Everything is bursting to life, renewed from the cold, harsh winter. It's beautiful and peaceful, and I love it.

_I will never be the same._

I wince briefly as my boot snaps a twig in half, spooking the pokemon in the vicinity. A pair of pidgeys bolt from the branch they had been sharing, a blur of flapping wings and stray feathers. A family of sentrets also retreats into a rather large bush. A faint sigh escapes my lips as I reach up to run a hand through my hair, ruffling the once neat bob. But I don't care.

_How can I? After all that's happened?_

Continuing, I am more careful of where I step. I don't want to disturb anymore pokemon. Maybe they would be more at ease if I release one of my pokemon, but that might not be the case. Not after the incidents a few years ago. Pokemon have every right to be frightened of humans now... and I honestly don't blame them.

_I wish it was all just a dream..._

I tighten my grip on my bag, and carefully step over a rather large fallen log. My boot briefly snags on the wood, but I manage to yank it away. However, I stumble forward, and it takes me a moment to regain my balance. Maybe I should have just flown here, but I like the peaceful walk. It helps me relax and clear my head, away from other people.

Away from judging eyes.

_...Like the nightmares that plague me every night._

I'm about to take another step forward when my pokegear goes off. Stifling a groan, I reach to pull it out of my jacket, and check the caller id. Oh, what a surprise—it's my little sister. I have to take this call, whether I like it or not. Or she'll say something to our parents and they will freak out on me.

"Damn you, Christine," I mutter to myself before finally answering the call. "What?"

"_Alex!"_ My little sister's bright, annoyingly bubbly voice sounds from the other end. She's three years younger than me, only fifteen, but she's one of the most successful coordinators in the region of Johto. I'm proud of her, even if I'll never admit it. _"I know it's the anniversary, but do you really have to visit there every year? Mom and Dad are worried."_

I let out an irritated sigh, and then start walking again. "Tell Mom and Dad they can suck it."

"_Alexandra!"_ Her voice is now chiding. _"I'm serious. It's been three years. I... I know it hurts, sis. But you need to let go. You're the only one left hanging on."_

I scowl, my grip on the pokegear involuntarily tightening. "'Scuse me for wantin' to visit the damn grave."

"_Alex—please don't be like this."_ Now she's pleading. _"We... We just want you to get better."_

"I _am_ better. And I don't need everybody hangin' over me like a mother combusken." I kick an old, rotten apricorn, sending it flying into a tree, startling the pokemon. Whups. "Just lay off already."

She grows quiet. _"I—I'm sorry, Alex. Just... may I ask you something?"_

"Sure," I mutter. "Shoot."

"_Wonderful word choice,"_ she mutters. I can just picture her tucking her hair behind her ear like she does when she's annoyed. _"Why do you visit the grave every year on the anniversary? Doesn't it... hurt you?"_

"...That's_ two _questions," I deadpan. "First of all, no, it doesn't hurt me. And second of all, I visit 'cause it makes me feel better."

Both statements aren't entirely true, but what she doesn't know won't kill her. I just need everyone to stop worrying about me already. It's been insane. Yeah, at first I needed it, but not anymore. I'm standing on my own perfectly fine. And it's not like I'm completely alone without any contact—I have my pokemon.

And my pokemon are all that I need.

"_Okay, okay,"_ Christine sighs. _"I'm trusting you, Alex. Just... promise me you'll come home for dinner with the family tonight."_

"...Fine," I grumble. "I promise."

"_Thank you!"_ She sounds relieved. _"There will be plenty for the pokemon too, don't worry. __Oh, and Cody is welcome to come too. I know Mom and Dad aren't too fond of him, but...__ Um, I suppose I should let you go, then. See you tonight, sis?"_

"Yeah, yeah—see ya tonight."

"_Yay! Bye-bye!"_

We both hang up, and I halt with a heavy sigh, slipping it back into my jacket pocket. I notice the sunlight has faded, letting the chill in the air return. I can't help but shiver a bit, and take the moment to zip up my jacket and rearrange my scarf. I also pull my fingerless gloves out of my bag and slip them on. Yeah, they're fingerless, but it isn't _that_ cold out.

…I'm nearing the grave site.

Like always, the realization makes my heart beat faster. Goosebumps form on my skin regardless of the fact that I'm covered up. My legs get shaky, and it becomes harder to walk. Images flash through my mind like a movie screen—grim reminders of why I'm even here, why this grave exists in such an out of the way place. My breath hitches in my throat, leading to a coughing fit. It takes me a moment to regain my composure.

I've done this before. I can do it again. This time, _without_ releasing one of my pokemon.

Forcing myself to continue, I take slow, slightly unsteady steps. The wild pokemon are not as nervous around here, and as my boots crunch on the dead leaves that line the forest floor, they do not flee. They merely watch me with curious eyes. Maybe some of them recognize me—_the weird girl that keeps on visiting that grave._

I reach the end of the forest path. The trees—budding deciduous and pine alike—open up to a small, dead clearing. It hasn't always been like this. When I first... made that grave, the clearing was alive and full of life. But after... disease creeped into the soil and killed all the grass and the vegetation around it. The grass is now a sickly shade of yellow, dry and sparse, and the trees gray and barren. It's dreary.

But the most awful thing about the place is the gravestone smack dab in the center.

...I had stolen it, to be honest. I had been in a bad state of mind, and had taken it without a second thought. I do feel bad about it, though. Despite my troubled past, I've never once broken the law—until the incidents. But I quickly push those thoughts out of my mind as I slowly approach the grave.

_I regret it all._

I can't take my eyes off that gray stone. The name that's carved into the hard rock glares at me, as if the dead is blaming me for what happened. But I know it's not my fault. I used to think that it was, but I know better now. But it still feels like I'm being glowered at. I do my best not to let it bother me, but...

My wobbly legs give out and I fall to my knees. Unsettled dirt gets onto my jeans, drifting up into the air in little clouds before settling back down. The bird pokemon in the trees continue to sing softly, but I find myself tuning them out. All I can see, think, hear, smell, and even taste—those terrible memories.

I feel the tears filling my eyes, spilling over onto my cheeks. There's a dull ache all over my body as I hunch forward, grinding my fingers into the dirt in front of the gravestone, my bangs falling into my eyes. Arceus... why did all of that have to happen? Choking back a sob, I squeeze my eyes shut, letting my body shudder.

Maybe... my sister is right... Maybe I should stop coming here... and never think or speak of the incidents ever again.

But first... maybe I should think over what exactly happened... one last time.

It's the least I can do.

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><p><strong>Right, so this is my last hurrah, so to speak. This fanfic will not be your typical original trainer story <em>at all.<em> I am going all out on this!**

**There are two parts to this: the Past and the Present. Each part will be identified by the tense.**

**As this is the prologue, you can expect chapters to be much longer than this.**

**Also, there will be seldom author's notes. I will only be making them if I have something important to say.**

**Thank you for reading and please review!**


	2. Born This Way

**Lala Land **

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><p><strong>The Past<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Born This Way<strong>

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><p>Growing up in Cherrygrove City was nicer than, say, Violet City. You got to live by the ocean, smelling the fresh, clean, and salty air everyday. It was always cool thanks to the ocean breeze. No one ever needed air conditioning. Pokemon were abundant even though the city was usually the first stop for brand new trainers. All the young people made the place lively, and kept the Guide Gent in business. I loved my home, and loved the diversity it gave me.<p>

Despite the love I held for my hometown, I still dreamed of becoming a trainer and leaving to see the region. I wanted to be with pokemon and didn't care if I didn't become successful or anything. Yeah, I had ambition—I wanted to be an ace trainer like my parents, maybe train under Clair someday, or try to become the Champion—but more than anything I just wanted to _be_ with pokemon. That was my simple dream.

But I had set myself up for failure from the very beginning.

What can I say? I was born with an incredibly uncivil attitude. People always complained about how rude and immature I was—_especially_ compared to my older sister Sonya. My little sister, Christine, was also a saint compared to me.

Though, it was always _Sonya Sonya Sonya_ in our household. In our parents' eyes, Sonya was _perfect_. She was polite, kind, intelligent, and talented. People were always complimenting our parents on how adorable she was (Christine too, being the baby). She got good grades, showed natural talent when it came to pokemon, and maturity at such a young age.

Even before Christine was born, I struggled for the attention of my parents. I tried to impress them with my own doodles of the family, including my parents' pokemon, or behaving really well at daycare. But none of that worked. And because of that, at only three years old, I began to resent my perfect big sister. When Christine was born, it was a relief, because _finally_ someone else was getting all the attention instead of her.

The best days, though, were when we went to the beach.

The sun would be shining high in the sky, casting down its beautiful golden rays of warmth on us. The water would be exceptionally clear, gently rolling onto the pale sand. The beach would be packed, of course—it always was on those kinds of days. Mom would help us get into our swimsuits and with our towels wrapped around us we would trek down to the beach.

"Sissy?" Christie whimpered, looking up at me with her wide blue eyes. "You sure this is okay?"

It was her first day at the beach, only three years old. I was six at the time, and Sonya was nine. Christie had been clinging onto me the entire way here, clutching to my hand as if she was holding on for dear life. I just gave her a big, toothy smile, and reached over to ruffle her curly golden hair.

"'Course it is! Mommy and Daddy wouldn't let us come if it wasn't!"

"Don't be silly," Sonya said with a laugh, looking down at us. "It'll be fun, Christie! Come on, I'll show you!"

The toddler squeaked in surprise as Sonya took her other hand and pulled her away from me, subtly shooting me a warning glare. I opened my mouth to protest, as Christie had chosen _me_ to stay with, but Sonya didn't even give me a chance.

"Don't you want to see the horseas? I know _exactly_ where they like to hang out!" she exclaimed.

Christie's face lit up. "You do? I wanna see!"

Sonya giggled. "Then come on!"

She proceeded to tug her along, taking our baby sister away from me. I just stood there for a moment, a dejected feeling settling down on me. Ugh... I had wanted to show her the horseas... and the family of seakings and goldeens... But I was completely powerless against her. Muttering to myself under my breath, I skulked forward, dragging my feet through the sand. Mommy and Daddy were already lounging on their beach chairs, their pokemon basking in the sunlight.

Nobody would notice me anyways... I was the oddball of the family. Both of my sisters were fair—with blonde hair and blue eyes. Sonya's was wavy, and Christie's was curly. The only thing we had in common was our eyes, though mine were a darker shade of blue than theirs. My hair was a dark shade of brown, and straight as a pin. I also tanned while they burned.

I was so busy whining to myself in my head I hadn't realized that I was about to trudge right into someone.

"H-Hey!"

I fell down on my tush, sand flying everywhere. "Wha-"

"Ow!" the girl who I had bumped into cried. "Watch where you're going..."

I was about to say something really rude but stopped when I recognized her. "Mariah?"

Her name was Mariah Crisman, and she was in my kindergarten class. She had recently moved here from Kanto as her father took the job of being Professor Elm's assistant in New Bark Town. We were about the same size, but she had wildly curly black hair, naturally tan skin, and bright, crystal blue eyes.

And those bright eyes widened. "A-Alex?"

I broke out into another big smile. "Hey! Sorry for bumpin' into you... Wasn't watchin' where I was goin'."

"I-It's... It's okay," she said, her voice soft and quiet as ever. "I-I wasn't watching where I was going either..."

Even though school was almost out for the year, barely any of my classmates knew anything about Mariah. She was insanely shy and kept to herself. She always went straight home to her place in New Bark when class ended. Her family seemed really secluded, too. I always thought she had friends like everyone else but that wasn't the case.

I stood up, not bothering to brush the sand off of myself. "Your family's visitin' the beach, huh?

She nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Y-Yeah.. The professor gave my dad the day off."

"That's really nice of 'im!" I exclaimed before holding out my hand. "C'mon, I'll help you up."

But she ended up staring at my hand in shock before finally taking it and letting me pull her up. "T-Thank you..."

"No prob!" I just grinned again. "Though, whatcha doin' all the way out here, away from the water? Don't you wanna swim?"

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. "N-No! I'm... I'm afraid of the ocean..."

I frowned, reaching up to scratch my nose. "Why? There's so many cool pokemon it there!"

"I... I-I know... but..."

"Hey, it's okay!" I exclaimed, walking closer to her. "We can play somewhere else!"

Her eyes widened again. "You... want to... play with _me_?"

"Why _wouldn't_ I?" I giggled. "C'mon, I know this secret pool where a bunch of krabbies live!"

Before she could protest, I snagged her hand and dragged her off to my secret hiding spot on the beach.

And that was how I befriended Mariah Crisman. She was my first real friend as a kid, who didn't start hating me because of my trouble making tendencies or whatever other stupid reason. Though the next year, when I was seven, was when everything started going down the tubes.

Sonya's tenth birthday was approaching, which meant that soon she would be attending the Trainer's School in Violet City to earn her trainer's license. And once that was over, she would be leaving to go on her journey. I was dreading that day so much, because I knew that life in our house was going to be like I had never been born.

So, the day before her birthday, I decided to have a little talk with my older sister. It was bedtime, but I had no trouble with sneaking back out of my room and to hers. I almost let out a relieved sigh as the door opened without a sound, and I quietly stepped inside. Sonya's back was to me as she was sitting in front of her vanity, brushing her long wavy pale blonde hair—a hundred strokes every morning and night, as Mom had instructed us.

"Sonya, can we talk?"

She jumped in surprise, whirling around to see it was only me. She glared at me. "What do you _want,_ Alexandra?"

I tried not to get mad about her not using my nickname. Just like our parents, she refused to call me by it. It was annoying how she so willingly obeyed their orders. She was their precious, perfect little princess, and I hated her for it.

"You don't hafta be a jerk," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. "I know tomorrow's your birthday and Mom and Dad are givin' you your starter and all but that doesn't mean you can be mean."

She just rolled her eyes at me. "So says the girl who's a jerk all the time."

"Oh, shuddup!" I snapped, scowling. "Stop yackin' and just listen for a change, Princess. I wanna make a deal."

Sonya raised an eyebrow—I always wondered how the heck she could do that. "What kind of deal?"

I puffed out my cheeks. "If I don't prank your birthday party tomorrow, you won't hog Mom and Dad's attention until you leave."

"What kind of deal is _that_?" she scoffed. "I don't hog their attention! You get plenty of it—because you're always getting in _trouble_! Aren't you, like, grounded anyways? Since you brought magikarp guts for show and tell and dumped them on some kid?"

I uncrossed my arms, my hands clenching into fists. "Yeah, 'cause that little wiener's been bullyin' Mariah! I'm not just gonna sit around and let some wuss hurt my bestie's feelin's!"

"Yes, because dumping magikarp guts on some poor kid is going to make things better." She sighed, shaking her head. "You're hopeless, Alexandra. You honestly think Mom and Dad are going to let you go to Trainer School with your behavior? You're always getting grounded, your grades are abysmal, your room is like a dump, and not to mention your _attitude_."

"What, so you're gonna act like _Mom_ now too?" I retorted, taking a step closer. "Sorry I'm not as pretty and perfect as you, sis!"

"I am _not_ pretty _or_ perfect! Jeez, what's gotten into you?" She put her hands on her hips. "Look, if you don't calm down, I'm going to have to let Mom know you're here and you're going to be in _so_ much trouble."

"Are you tryin' to _scare_ me? 'Cause I'm _totally_ not scared. I'd never be scared of a prissy wuss like you-"

"MOOOOOOOOOOOOM! ALEXANDRA ISN'T IN BED!"

I spent Sonya's tenth birthday locked in my room. But I heard enough to know what was going on. Our parents had gotten Sonya the ultimate present for an upcoming trainer—her first pokemon. And not just any pokemon either. They bought her a dratini from a reputable breeder. I had never heard such happy screaming and squealing ever in my life.

The only good thing that happened during the following months came after my school suspension ended. When I went back to school, my class had a new student. Mariah had befriended her, and her name was Emily Adams.

"Alex! You're back!"

As soon as I stepped through the front door I was ambushed by my very excited best friend. All you could hear for a few minutes were our excited giggles and overall silliness. Finally, Mariah snatched my hand and started to pull me towards the rug in our classroom, a bright look in her pale blue eyes.

"Come on, there's somebody you gotta meet! We got a new student while you were gone."

I let her pull me to the cheri red rug where our class sat whenever our teacher read us stories. A bunch of my classmates were already sitting there, playing with toys while we all waited for the school day to start. I saw the punk who had been bullying Mariah, and promptly gave him a death glare. He saw me, and shied away, fleeing from the rug. His accomplices hastily followed him.

"Emily! This is Alex, my friend I was telling you about!"

Snapping to attention, I saw the small girl with hair the color of oran berries and a mass of freckles covering her skin. In all honesty, at that age, I found her appearance incredibly obnoxious. And being the blunt person I was, I would make my opinion clear.

"You're ugly," I deadpanned.

"W-What?!" the poor girl gasped, her green eyes widening with horror.

"Alex!" Mariah gasped, giving me her own horrified look. "That's mean! Oh, Emily, I'm so sorry!" She hastily returned her attention to the speckled girl. "Alex doesn't really mean that! It's just her way of saying she likes you!"

"I never said it was a _bad_ thing," I said with a shrug. "Ugly people gotta stick together, yeah?"

"Alex," Mariah groaned. "We really need to work on your friend making skills..."

Still, Emily didn't hold it against me. She ended up calling me ugly right back one day. The three of us all became good friends, spending time with each other outside of school as much as possible. We promised to travel together once we became trainers, taking on the Johto Gyms with each other. It made me look forward to my tenth birthday even more because I had friends to enjoy my freedom from my overbearing parents with.

However, all my dreams were shattered by one simple word.

"No."

"What?!" I cried, gaping at my mother. "What's that _s'pposed_ to mean?!"

"You heard me," Mom replied curtly. "Your father and I have decided that you won't be attending Trainer School. You will continue with your normal studies."

"Why?!"

"Your behavior has been absolutely horrendous," Dad deadpanned, looking down at me with his harsh dark eyes. "Not to mention your _grades_. You are terrible to everyone in this family. A brat does not deserve to become a trainer."

"Why can't you be like _Sonya_?" Mom sighed, reaching up to brush a stray strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.

I just stared at them, eyes wide and mouth ajar. They... couldn't mean that... But as soon as my mom made her infamous comment, I knew it was true. This wasn't a bad dream. This was my awful, stark reality. The reality that my parents would never love me as much as either of my sisters. That I would never be good enough, no matter how hard I tried. And I tried so so hard. I struggled in school, even asking my friends for help with homework (and _not_ copying the answers) when my teacher couldn't explain well enough. I had trouble reading material, and had been diagnosed with dyslexia. My grades, as bad as they were, _were_ my best.

But I had had enough. I was tired of being compared to her. I was sick of not being good enough.

"I'm... I'm not Sonya, OKAY?!" I snapped, my temper finally exploding with all the pent up rage I had been holding back all these years. "Stop COMPARING me to her! I'm ALEX, and I'm gonna be MYSELF, and if you don't freakin' like it, YOU CAN SUCK IT! I HATE YOU AND I WISH I WAS NEVER BORN TO LOSER PARENTS LIKE YOU!"

Before either of them could react, I turned and ran away. I ran, and ran, leaving Cherrygrove, heading onto the route that led to New Bark. I had instinctively chosen that route. The Crismans had always been better to me than my own family, and Mr. Crisman had put in word about me to Professor Elm about getting one of the special starter pokemon and being put in the Pokedex program along with his daughter. I would be safe there. I _could_ be safe there.

But in my anguish, I had completely forgotten that there were wild pokemon.

In my hurry, I ended up tripping on something, falling flat on my face. Dirt smeared on my teary cheeks, but I didn't bother trying to rub it off. I started to heave myself back onto my feet, only to hear an aggressive hiss behind me. Brushing my bangs away from my eyes, I glanced behind me to see what is was.

I... must have tripped over a ratatta. Because a ratatta was now leering at me, baring its dangerously sharp fangs. For the first time in my life... I felt like I was in danger. And from a pokemon, of all things.

Before I could even take another breath, the mouse pokemon lunged at me. An earsplitting scream exploded from my throat as it sank its teeth into my leg. I could feel its fangs digging into my flesh, drawing blood. It began to shake its head, ripping deeper into my leg. I screamed again, trying desperately to crawl away, only dragging it with me. Tears streaming down my face, pain throbbing in my leg, I tried to pull it off of me, only to find it was securely latched on.

I was about to scream for help when a saw a brown blur slam into the purple mouse, forcing it to let go out of my leg. Gasping in pain, I scrambled away, getting as far away as I possibly could, my back pressing up against the cool bark of a tree. I saw then that my rescuer was a sentret. I watched, frozen in fear, as the two pokemon fought. But my head had began to pound, and the world began to spin. And then everything became black.

As I had been unconscious, I have no idea what happened after that. All I know is that I woke up in a hospital bed. My leg had stitches, and I had to be quarantined for rabies. Mariah and Emily came to visit me, introducing me to their starters—they had been accepted into the Pokedex program. Mariah had chosen a totodile and Emily a chikorita. I was slightly jealous, but still very happy for them.

Later I would find out that I had been accepted as well, but my parents refused to let me be involved, suggesting Christine for it in my place. My little sister had been denied then and was denied later, just like Sonya.

Once I was released from the hospital, I returned home. I said nothing to my parents. I had nothing to say to them. I wanted nothing to do with them. For weeks, I locked myself in my room, refusing to come out unless I had to go to school or use the bathroom. Christine brought my food to me and spent time with me whenever she could. Mariah and Emily were now in Trainer School, so I didn't get to see them. Plus I was grounded, so I couldn't leave the house to hang out with them outside of school.

But then, one day, after my tenth birthday, when I came home from school, I found something in my bedroom.

I had just trudged in, shutting my door behind me when I saw a very familiar red and white ball on my bed. A poke ball. I dropped my backpack. No way... They had gotten me a _pokemon_?! They were actually going to let me have one?! I bolted to my bed, eager to see who my starter was going to be—if I ever got to become a trainer. I quickly pressed the capsule's button, releasing my new pokemon out onto the bed. But as soon as I saw it, all my excitement faded.

It... was just a sentret... a common sentret that you could catch in our backyard.

They put... no effort in getting me a pokemon at all.

They had gone out of their way to get Sonya a dratini of all things, but when it came to me they just went outside and caught the first thing they came across.

I was _furious_.

The sentret let out a friendly squeak, waddling to the end of the bed to greet me. But I just scowled at the stupid thing before picking it up, ignoring its startled cry, and marching out of my room to find my parents. They were both in the living room—Mom was helping Christine with her homework while Dad was reading the newest issue of _Trainer Today_. They all looked up at the sound of my entrance, and I held out the sentret away from my body.

"What's this?!" I demanded.

The sentret squeaked again. "Sen..."

"What do you mean, dear?" Mom said, trying to sound oh so innocent. "We decided that giving you your own pokemon might help you feel better."

I scowled. "I don't want a stupid sentret! I want a _growlithe_!"

"Well, you're not getting a growlithe," Dad said sternly. "Be grateful that we even got you one. There's nothing wrong with a sentret."

But that's when said sentret raised its tail and pooped all over my sneakers.

"AAAAAGH!"

The days passed after I had been given the sentret. But I continued to refuse to accept it as my pokemon, ignoring it as much as I possibly could. It wasn't making it easy either—it kept on following me around and trying to sleep on my bed. Though one night everything changed...

I was getting ready for bed. I was taking my hair out of its pigtails after changing into my pajamas. The sentret was also getting ready to sleep, cleaning itself. Once my hair was free, I stretched a little before trudging to my bed. But that was when I heard a crash—like a window was being broken. I froze as the sentret looked up, its ears perking forward at the sound.

What was that? Did somebody just break into our house? Mom and Dad had already gone to bed since it was a Friday, and it was pretty late. They probably hadn't heard the sound. Which meant it was up to me to investigate. For the first time, I was grateful I had a pokemon.

Maybe... it wasn't so bad after all... A pokemon was a pokemon, right? I paused for a moment, wracking my brain for a nickname. I knew it was a female... Arceus, nicknames were so hard! But then something came to mind.

"Hey, Lala," I said, looking at the sentret. "C'mon. We need to check out that noise."

She scurried after me as I slowly moved towards my bedroom door. I carefully creaked open my door, wincing as it made a little sound. I peeked out into the hall, and Lala did the same, stepping over my feet. It was too dark to really make out anything, but if I stayed in here who knew what would happen. I couldn't let anything happen to Christie...

"C'mon..." I whispered, stepping out of my room.

She followed me, not making a sound. We sneaked down the hallway. Each step was made cautiously and quietly. This, after all, was a serious situation. I wasn't about to rush into it. That would just make something bad happen.

We reached the end of the hallway, and Lala's ears perked forward, like she could hear something. Sentrets had really good hearing so she probably could. I tried to peek forward, but it was really too dark to make out anything. I guessed I might have to take a risk so I could protect my family.

Reaching up, I ran my hand along the wall, searching for the light switch. Once I felt it, I quickly flipped it on, and the living room lit up in that instant. And there was the intruder, dressed in black, with his hands already wrapped around something valuable.

"Hey!" I yelled. "Whaddaya think you're doin'?!"

If that didn't wake my parents up, nothing would. But the thief didn't say anything. He didn't pull out a poke ball. He took out a _gun_. And pointed it at me.

_BAM!_

It happened so fast I didn't have time to even think. But the next thing I knew I was on the ground, having been tackled down by none other than my sentret. All I could hear were her angry cries as she viciously attacked the intruder. I scrambled to my feet as I heard more gunshots, and movement in the back—my parents were finally waking up. But then the lights went out.

"Lala!" I cried, looking around frantically in the darkness. "Lala?!"

I was starting to panic as my parents burst into the room, the lights flickering on again, right as a familiar fluffy body leaped into my arms. Ignoring my parents' loud, angry voices, I squeezed her tightly to my chest.

Lala... had saved my life.

I felt really stupid and awful for how I had been treating her earlier...

And from that day onward, I took care of Lala. I fed her, groomed her, played with her, and took up training her whenever I got the chance with school and my tendency to get grounded. We still managed to make progress, though. But then the day came that Mariah and Emily graduated Trainer School and passed the trainer license test... which meant they would be leaving.

I knew the day was coming but that didn't make me any more ready for it.

We met at the entrance to the route that led to Violet City. It was hard... seeing my best friends all geared up and ready to go, while I had to stay home. It really wasn't fair! I was always getting the short end of the stick...

"How's my hair?" Emily asked, running her fingers through the smooth, red strands of her hair.

"Emily, we're about to go out in the wilderness, and you're asking about your _hair_?" Mariah asked in disbelief, shaking her head.

"Hey, there are all kinds of trainers on the route!" she exclaimed in defense. "There could be some really cute boys!"

I made a gagging sound. "Boys suck. 'Sides, they all have cooties!"

"They do not!" Emily huffed in defense, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're just _jealous_ that I've already had my first boyfriend!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, 'cause I totally wanna be playin' tonsil tennis with some gross, cootie infested boy!"

"Guys, um, aren't we, like, ten?" Mariah let out a strained laugh. "Only teenagers have boyfriends..."

"Come _on_, Mariah, don't be such a stick-in-the-mud!" Emily huffed, puffing out her cheeks. "You're _so_ pretty, you could totally get a boyfriend if you wanted to!"

I opened my mouth to say something, but Mariah cut me to the chase.

"Um, well, I... don't really like boys," she confessed in barely a whisper, ducking her head.

"Whaaaaaat?" Emily gasped in shock. "How do you _not_ like boys?! They're so cute!"

"I-I..."

"Hey, so _what_ if Mariah doesn't like boys?!" I snapped, scowling. "They're all gross and smelly so I don't really blame her! Girls are _so_ much better. 'Sides, why the heck are we even talkin' 'bout this? You're about to start your journey!"

"Y-Yeah," Mariah stammered, still keeping her eyes low. "We, um, should get going... if we don't want to have to camp out overnight."

My heart sunk. This was happening way too fast... Maybe I should have let them argue about boys or whatever. I was happy for them, I really was—I just didn't want them to leave. I didn't want to lose my friends...

"You're gonna keep in touch, right?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound too nervous.

"Ugh, why would I want to call you?" Emily scoffed before laughing and smiling. "Joking, joking! Of course we'll keep in touch! I didn't get this pokegear for nothing, you know!"

Mariah smiled and nodded. "Yeah, don't worry, Alex."

"Just don't call every day, okay?" Emily gave me a look. "Well _all_ know you get separation anxiety whenever you're away from Mariah, but we have lives now, you know."

"Hey, I do not!" I retorted, which made Miss Freckles burst out laughing. "You're a jerk, y'know that?!"

"Look who's talking," she snickered. "I'm just messing with you, Alex!"

She reached over to tug at one of my pigtails and I slapped her hand away, making her laugh harder. Mariah sighed, used to our antics. It was like she was the 'normal' member of our trio.

"We really need to go, Emily," she said softly.

"Okay, okay!" she laughed before holding out her arms. "Group hug first!"

That was the last moment I saw my two best friends. It was really hard pulling away from that hug and letting them go, waving goodbye. I watched them until they were out of view, and then trudged back to my house, already feeling lonely and dejected. I had no idea how I was going to handle being trapped here now that they were gone.

After that, summer finally arrived, which gave me the time to put everything into training Lala. We spent so much time together that I began to understand her. The more time a trainer spent with their pokemon, the more they were able to understand them. It was a relief too, having someone else to talk to. Though how she still managed to be a total sweetheart being raised by me I had no idea. Maybe she was just one of those people—well, _pokemon_—that was plain nice.

I called Mariah and Emily once a week, but as time went on the space between our phone calls grew sparse. Eventually they just stopped answering all together, and then changed numbers—like they were trying to avoid me. It... really hurt... but what did I expect? Years were passing, and friends grew apart when they left on journeys...

I was lonely... but at least I had Lala.

A month before Christie's tenth birthday, my new best friend finally evolved. I had been so excited and thrilled, and so so proud of the both of us, that I ran all the way back to my house to show my family. Christie was just as thrilled as I was, but my parents just... brushed it off.

"Mom, Dad, look, look! Lala evolved into a furret!" I had exclaimed with glee.

"Oh, that's nice, honey." Mom didn't even look at us.

"Good job," Dad said impassively, not looking up from his magazine.

I had just stared at them before marching off to my room, Lala scurrying after me. I didn't bother sharing any more accomplishments with them after that. It hurt even more than always being compared to Sonya, who had been gone for six years, only coming home for holidays. I was done trying to impress them. I just gave up.

I wasn't surprised when Christie got a pichu for her birthday—another cool pokemon, just like dratini. She had asked for something cute and small, and she had gotten it. I loved Lala, but I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. But I was happy that I could spend time with my little sister helping her with her Trainer School homework and stuff.

It was even harder to see her leave. Now I was all alone with my parents. Christie had always made living at home bearable. But now she was gone too... And life really became hell.

With no other distractions, my parents became stricter and harsher. Middle school had been rough, but when I started high school, they cracked down even harder. No matter how hard I tried to behave in school, I still ended up getting in trouble. My grades dropped even further, thanks to my dyslexia and overall 'bad attitude'. But by that point I was done caring. I just wanted to survive to my eighteenth birthday so I could leave and live my life like a normal person.

But that day ended up coming early, when my mom barged into my room one evening and told me that my big sister was missing.


	3. Who Knew

**Lala Land **

* * *

><p><strong>The Past<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: Who Knew<strong>

* * *

><p>Sunlight was drifting through the drapes that covered my windows, signaling that daytime had arrived. But I didn't want to get up. Stifling a groan, I pressed my face into my pillow, a last ditch effort to block out the annoying light. It was a Saturday. I didn't have to get up yet. And I was pretty comfortable—until a certain furret rolled onto my back, her tail covering my entire head. Now her furry body was soft as hell, but I didn't want that fur getting in my face.<p>

I groaned, pushing myself up, knocking Lala off of me. But she was so out of it, she didn't even notice that she had fallen off the bed, her head now resting on the wooden floor, fur floating in the air. I blinked wearily, looking down at her. I loved Lala to death, but her fur was a bitch. It got _everywhere_.

Rubbing my eyes, I yawned, trying to wake up. That wasn't working too well, so I was about to flop back down to go back to sleep—until my stomach growled loudly. Sighing heavily, I heaved myself out of bed, wincing as my bare feet touched the cold floor. Before leaving, I gently lifted—more like wrestled—the long body of my furret back onto the bed. She let out a soft, happy coo in her sleep, curling up into a ball amongst my blankets.

Of course, my parents were already up. I swore they always got up at the crack of dawn every day. They had since given away their pokemon, so there was no reason for them to keep on getting up so early. Guess old habits really did die hard.

I trudged into the kitchen, where my parents were sitting, their plates already empty of whatever they had for breakfast. Dad was reading the newspaper, while Mom was going over something on her tablet. Glancing at the stove, I saw that there was nothing leftover for me to have. Typical. I grabbed a bowl out of the cupboard, set it on the table, and then went to the fridge to get out the milk and a box of cereal off the top.

Lately... things had been quiet. As if I didn't even exist. Maybe I should have been happy that we hadn't been fighting, but... I hated the feeling of being invisible.

I had just finished pouring the milk into my bowl of cereal when Mom suddenly let out a heavy sigh, setting down her tablet. I glanced over at her as I capped the jug. What was her problem today?

"We can't just ignore this anymore, Michael," she said, a very concerned expression on her face. "It's been too long. There's no way this could just be her asserting her independence."

...What the hell were they talking about? Or should I ask _who_?

Dad folded the newspaper shut, and set it down to the side. "I'm loath to admit it, but you do have a point there, Hannah..."

"Uh, what's goin' on?" I asked, finally catching their attention.

Mom sighed again, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair that was loose from her bun back behind her ear. "Sonya hasn't contacted us in over a month."

...Were they expecting me to be concerned? "Oh, what a bummer," I said sarcastically, shoving the spoon I had just grabbed into my cereal. "She just turned eighteen a couple months ago. She prolly just wants some space or somethin'."

She gave me a sharp look. "I think you are getting your sister's behavior mixed up with what _you_ would do, Alexandra."

"There have been rumors," Dad said, glancing at the newspaper. "Apparently there is some kind of anti-pokemon cult that's been getting popular recently."

Mom's eyes widened. "You don't think she would get involved with something like that, would you?"

He shook his head. "No, but these nut jobs have been making threats to famous trainers, and you know that Sonya has developed a fanbase since she made it through Victory Road. You know how the media always turns the few trainers that make it through into celebrities."

She didn't look convinced, though. "I don't know, Michael... Oh, I'm so worried..."

Ugh... It made me sick, seeing them fret over her like that. Bet if it was me that was missing they probably wouldn't give two shits. I blocked them out, focusing on eating my breakfast. I was currently stuck in summer school, so I was hoping to get a chance to take Lala down to the beach today to have some fun.

But that hope went right out the window.

"Alexandra? Are you even listening?!"

Mom's sharp tone snapped me out of my ignore mode, and I couldn't stop myself from retorting angrily. "What?!"

Both of my parents scowled at me. Ugh. Why did they have to stop acting as if I didn't exist now? They probably wanted me for something. That was the only time they ever seemed to acknowledge my presence, other than getting in trouble.

"We have decided to let you go on your journey."

My eyes widened in shock. "What?! For real?!"

What made them change their mind suddenly? I was only fifteen, three years away from the end of my prison sentence. Something wasn't right here... There had to be some kind of catch.

"On one condition," Mom added, just as I had suspected. "You have to look for your sister."

...Of freaking course.

Everything revolved around Sonya for them. Even my journey would have something to do with her. It wasn't that I didn't care. I just had no reason to. Sonya was probably just tired of dealing with our parents. She had been pretty... off... the last time she came over. Like she had other things on her mind. She had been becoming distant all the way back then. She was probably fine and our parents were overreacting like the smothering parents they were.

But... this was a chance to get away... Could I really let it go?..They'd probably make me do it anyways, even if I tried to resist.

"...Fine," I muttered. "I'll look for stupid Sonya."

"How many times do we have to tell you _not_ to call your sister names?!"

* * *

><p>Fully dressed and with Lala by my side and a list of supplies in my hand, I stepped out of the house. It was unusually hot out, which made me relieved that I always wore my long hair up in high pigtails, and had put on a tank top and short shorts today. The list had things I needed to buy for my journey—poke balls, potions, repels, and so on. My mom had been pretty specific, even putting down a note to buy poke balls in bulks of ten to get the free premier ball. All I knew that it was gonna be a killer to haul all this crap around, along with food, clothes, my hair stuff, make-up and other toiletries.<p>

This had to be why they sent ten year olds on journeys. They had less crap to carry around with them!

Grumbling to myself, I dragged myself down the front steps and began the relatively short walk to the Poke Mart. I was minding my own business, going over the list one more time as Lala went off to the side as always, frolicking in the flowerbeds and happily greeting anyone who passed by her. She was always careful not to rip the flowers out of the dirt.

Damn, this woman was acting like we were rich or something-

"ALEX?!"

I stopped dead in my tracks at the sound of a slightly familiar voice. It was a bit deeper and more mature, but I knew it anywhere. I looked over at where it had came from, and my eyes widened as I saw who it was.

"MARIAH?!"

It was Mariah all right, but I almost didn't recognize her. She had... changed so much. It made me realize that five years really had passed since we had last seen each other. It looked like she was slightly taller than me, maybe by an inch. Her curly black hair was long, going down to the small of her back even though it was pulled back in a low ponytail. Her bangs fell down to her eyebrows, wispy, loose hairs reaching down to her chin. Her eyes were still that crystal shade of blue, standing out against her darker complexion. She was dressed for travel, but I could see that puberty had done her well.

Damn... She was freaking stunning.

"Alex!" she called again, a smile brightening her already lovely face, waving to me before bounding over and throwing her arms around me in a hug. "Oh, I've missed you so much!"

I just stood there for a moment, still stunned, only to push her away, which made her give me a confused look. Lala bounded over, and for a moment she seemed to forget her confusion as she greeted the happy furret, giving her a nice scratch behind the ear.

"You stopped answering my calls," I said, a slight accusatory tone to my voice. "And then you changed phone numbers."

Mariah winched, reaching up to finger one of the loose hair strands. "Emily and I both lost our pokegears... It wasn't intentional, I swear. I'm sorry, Alex..."

...I couldn't stay mad at her, especially with that dejected look on her face. "Ugh, whatever. What're you doin' back here, anyways?"

She bit her bottom lip. "I'm visiting my family. I've been meaning to for a while now, but Emily whined about being alone for the longest time."

I couldn't help but laugh. "That sounds like her."

Mariah giggled this time, resting her hand on the strap of her bag. "Yeah, not much has changed in that regard. There's so much catching up we have to do! Oh, wait—you were on your way to go shopping, weren't you?"

I made a face, looking down at the now crumpled piece of paper. "Yeah... My parents are finally lettin' me go on my journey... but I hafta look for Sonya too. She's gone missin'."

Her eyes widened. "Oh no, that's terrible! Let me go with you. I can help with your shopping. I don't have to meet with my parents for another hour."

I gave her a big grin. "Awesome! You're a real bro, y'know that?"

"Huh?" Her cheeks seemed to darken. "Um, if you say so."

I just rolled her eyes, and headed towards the Poke Mart, leaving her and Lala to follow me. I pulled the door open, which made the bell ring. I held the door open for Lala to dart inside, handing it to Mariah. Much to my relief, the air conditioning was blasting on high. I let out a sigh of relief. With weather like this, it made you think that Groudon was up to something over in Hoenn again. I wasn't sure what was worse—oppressing heat or endless rain.

"All right, may I have the list?" Mariah asked, holding out her hand.

I nodded, giving it to her. Clicking her tongue, she scanned over the piece of paper. I couldn't help but notice that she must have been wearing a really nice brand of lip gloss because her lips looked so pink and soft. Arceus... what was wrong with me? I usually didn't notice anything about people.

"Let's go to the medicine section," she said, completely oblivious to my staring.

"Right!" I exclaimed, heading over to that aisle before she could say anything else.

A few minutes later, we were in the medicine aisle with a cart, putting potions, antidotes, and paralyze heals in it. That was when Mariah seemed to hesitate, her gaze flickering down to the floor.

"...Can I tell you something?"

"Uh, sure?" I said, confused.

"I... don't want any secrets between the three of us—you, Emily, and me—but please don't get upset." She took a deep breath to steady herself, and then lowered her voice. "I... am a lesbian... a-and, um... Emily and I... kind of experimented a little... to figure ourselves out."

...Well, damn.

I couldn't give two shits about her sexuality—Mariah was Mariah and would always be my best friend no matter who she was attracted to. But the part about her and Emily... It was a bit of a shock. Like, here I was stuck with assholes of parents and they were getting all hot and heavy. And weird. Very weird. Oh my Arceus. They freaking-

"...Alex? You're not mad, are you?"

"Uh—what?" I managed to snap out of that sudden wave of weird emotions. "Why the hell would I be mad? You're my friend no matter what. Though it's kinda... weird... thinkin' of you and Emily... doin'... that kinda thing... Wait, you're not datin' or anything are you?"

Mariah let out a strained laugh, and shook her head. "Thank Arceus... And no, Emily has established that she is one hundred percent heterosexual. We're friends and she's back to chasing boys."

I made a face. "Ugh, _still_? Some things really _don't_ change."

"At least she's dated someone," she sighed. "Have you had a boyfriend yet?"

"Who, me?" I snorted. "All the boys left here are either terrified of me, hate my guts, or think I'm a nuisance. And I could give two shits about datin' anybody. I don't see what's so great 'bout it."

Mariah was chewing on her bottom lip. "...You have a point there. I was just wondering..." She looked over at the shelves. "Enough about that! Let's get the rest of the supplies!"

* * *

><p>Eventually we had to part, but not without exchanging pokegear numbers. I walked with her to the edge of town that led to the route that took you to New Bark Town. Lala and I said goodbye to Mariah and her feraligatr, Aqua, and reluctantly headed home with all of our new supplies. Once back in my room, I began to pack the bag that I had gotten years ago in anticipation of starting my journey with my friends.<p>

My friends... I was so behind them in more ways that one.

I could use this journey to figure myself out too, right? That's what journeys were for. Or at least that's what my teacher in fourth grade had said as our class diminished with each student turning ten and leaving for the Trainer School. I had been the only student left by the end of the year.

Once I finished with the pokemon supplies, I got up and went to the bathroom to get my basket of hair stuff. Keeping hair as long as mine—it went down to my waist—was hard work. But... I knew I wouldn't be able to bring everything with me. I would have to choose carefully. As I sat back down on my bed, Lala leaped up to sit next to me.

"...So, what d'you think is most important, Lala?" I asked the furret.

She tilted her head to the side. _"Your hair brush, right? You better bring mine, too!"_

Well, that was a no brainer. "'Course, I'm gonna bring yours too! You've got more hair problems than _me_ sometimes."

She giggled. _"__Yay! I'm so excited to finally get to leave! We're gonna see so many cool things! Oh, and find Son-Son too!"_

...Lala had a tendency to nickname everyone she knew. I was _Lexi_, Christine was _Chrissy_, and Sonya was... _Son-Son_. How she came up with them, I had no idea. But she was more creative than me. Naming my pokemon was going to be _hard_.

"So what else?" I said, digging through the basket, past my brush and various combs. There were cans of spray, mousse, and gel, a bottle of after-shower conditioner, you name it. I came across my curling iron—maybe I should bring that? Though it usually took forever to curl my hair that way. I could just bring my curlers instead. "A comb, curlers, maybe hairspray?"

Lala bobbed her head up and down. _"Yeah! Um, you know more about hair than me, Lexi."_

I rolled my eyes. "I guess that's good then. I can always buy something if I need it."

Now... to tackle make-up and perfume. I looked over at the rickety vanity in my room, where I kept all my beautifying items. I grimaced. This was going to take a while.

I could thank my parents for being so abrupt and not giving me much time to prepare. And I needed to hurry, before they started yelling at me for being so slow.

Grumbling to myself, I took the items out of the basket and put them away in my bag before picking up the basket and returning it to the bathroom. This was going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

><p>Usually I ate dinner by myself in my room, since that was the time my parents liked to nag at me. And since most of the time it was like I was invisible, I got away with it. However, that wasn't the case today. I was called down to dinner, and it was so surprising I almost thought one of my sisters had shown up out of the blue. Grumbling to myself, I stalked out to the dining room, leaving Lala to amuse herself in my room until I fed her.<p>

But what I found in the dining room was not what I was expecting.

There was Mariah, dressed all nice with her hair down, chatting with my parents like she had just arrived. Confused, I opened my mouth to ask what the hell was going on, but I never got the chance to speak.

"We asked Mariah to join us for dinner," Mom said, looking over at me. "You could at least tried to make yourself more presentable, Alex. You look like a sloven."

...I had gotten worse insults from her than that, but it as still annoying. I opened my mouth to retort, but again I was interrupted.

"Oh, no, it's all right, Mrs. Gordon," Mariah said, smiling mareepishly. "There's really no need for formality."

"_Yeah_, Mom," I muttered, trudging over to the table. "Anyways, what's for dinner?"

"Stop being rude and just sit down," Dad said, moving to the head of the table. "You ask too many questions."

You would think they'd try to be nicer around a guest, but nope. Scowling to myself, I pulled back my chair and plopped down as loudly as possible. Mariah quietly sat down in the seat next to me. Mom left to get our food from the kitchen where she must have been keeping it warm. An awkward silence fell. Well, to me it was awkward.

"So, Mariah," Dad said. "What have you been up to these past few years?"

"Oh, well, just traveling through Johto," she said after hesitating slightly, having been caught off guard. "I've earned all of the badges on this side of the Indigo League. I've also won a few medals from the Pokeathon."

"Most impressive," Dad mused, leaning back in his chair. "We always had a feeling you were talented like Sonya."

She let out a soft, yet strained laugh, reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear. "Um, thank you, Mr. Gordon. But my pokemon were the ones doing all the work. I was just leading them."

I sunk into my seat. Damn, they even had the guts to compare her to Sonya. Were they trying to upset me on purpose or were they that oblivious to my feelings?

"That is true," he chuckled, but then Mom strode into the room with a platter of plates. "Ah, here we are! I hope you like roast tepig!"

I made a face. "Ugh, you guys _know_ I'm a vegetarian."

"If you don't eat what we eat, you don't eat at all," Mom replied curtly as she began to set a plate in front of each of us.

"Um... I don't mean to be rude, but I'm a vegetarian as well," Mariah said quietly, tucking in her chin.

Almost immediately, my mom's stiff demeanor faded. "Don't worry, dear, I also prepared a couple of side dishes involving berries just in case."

...This was bullshit. If I complained, I was given a hard time, but if Mariah did, they would cater to her every whim? Was it because she was like Sonya? I had nothing against Mariah, but I was really starting to get pissed off. I realized my hands had clenched into fists, but I didn't bother unclenching them.

Normally, I could take it. I could just brush it aside and ignore my parents' unfairness. But this... This was too much. They would let their own child _starve_, but give a guest whatever they wanted? That wasn't right.

"Do you care about me at _all_?!" I demanded, jerking up from my seat and slamming my fists on the table, causing it to rattle. "You're s'pposed to be my _parents_, and you do jack _shit_ for me! I hafta do odd jobs around town just to get the food I like 'cause you don't get me shit! And you wonder why I suck in school?! 'Cause I don't have time to get help anymore!"

They just stared at me. Mariah had frozen in her seat, her eyes wide in shock. Yeah, things had gotten worse since the last time we saw each other. It'd been five freaking years, after all.

"You ungrateful brat," my mom finally snapped, her voice laced with venom. "We have done so _much_ for you, Alexandra! We provide you with food, clothing, shelter, and most importantly, we gave you _life_. And what have you given us in return? Nothing! A querulous, narcissistic, misbehaving, unintelligent, unappreciative daughter who deserves nothing but a good beating! Arceus, where did we go wrong, Michael? Sonya and Christine are wonderful, while she is just..." She shook her head, reaching up to press a hand to her forehead.

I realized my fingers were digging into the table, my nails catching on the wood, but I didn't care. I was done caring. For real this time. This was the last draw.

"I think you forgot something, _Mother_," I spat. "Maybe you haven't heard of it, but there's a key ingredient in every family to make it work—_love_. And you sure as hell haven't shown me any."

With that, I jerked away from the table, and stormed back to my room.

* * *

><p>"Alex, please let me in. We need to talk."<p>

For about an hour now, I had locked myself in my room. Within the first ten minutes I had broke down crying, which had drawn Lala to my side. She had served as my pillow and tissue, and now her fur was all snarled and caked with my salty tears. I didn't care at the moment though. I was too upset. Also for the past hour, Mariah had been knocking on my door and trying to get me to let her in so we could talk or whatever.

I just continued to ignore her, hugging Lala tightly with my face pressed into her soft fur. She had her tail wrapped gently, yet protectively, around me, keeping me enveloped in her warmth. I honestly had no idea what I would do without her anymore.

"Locking yourself away isn't going to fix anything, Alex. Come on, let me _help_ you."

"_You should really let her in, Lexi,"_ Lala told me softly. _"You're still best friends, right? Friends are supposed to help each other! And, um, I dunno how to deal with parents..."_

...Ugh, with her telling me that there was no way I could just ignore it. I pulled away from the furret, reaching up to wipe my eyes with my hand. I probably looked hideous right now, with my make-up running and red face and eyes.

"Fine," I muttered. "But only 'cause you said it."

Pulling myself off of my bed, I padded to my door, and unlocked it. The door clicked as I pulled it open, revealing a very concerned looking Mariah. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

"Arceus, you look awful."

"...Thanks," I grumbled, turning around to flop back down on my bed. "Whadayya want?"

"_Be nice, Lexi!"_ Lala chided me as she hopped down onto the floor. _"Um, I'm hungry so I'm gonna go raid the berry garden! Laters!" _

She skedaddled out out my bedroom before I could even process what she said. Mariah watched her go, and then closed the door. She seemed a bit... awkward as she walked over to sit down next to me as I buried my face into my pillow. I knew she wanted to talk, but I was so not in the mood for that.

"Alex... I know what you're thinking, but no, I am not going to support your parents on this. Not this time. You running away was different. I'm just... so sorry. I wish there was something I could do."

I didn't move. I just continued to stare at the blackness of my pillow being right up in my face.

She sighed heavily. "This is all my fault. I should have never agreed to come over for dinner. Then this would never had happened..."

"...It's not your fault..." I mumbled.

"Huh?"

...Oh yeah, she couldn't hear me through the pillow. I turned my head to the side to look at her.

"It's not your fault. My parents were assholes from the very beginning."

She looked down at me, a pained expression in her pale blue eyes. "But..."

"Don't you dare blame yourself, got it?" I snapped, getting a little angry. "That's like... blamin' myself for bein' born or somethin'! It's not my fault that I was born or that I got dyslexia. Some things are just outta our control."

Mariah just stared at me for a moment, and then her expression softened. "That's... probably the wisest thing that's ever come out of your mouth, Alex."

"...It's just the truth," I muttered before rolling onto my back. "I got the bad luck in this family. Sonya's a freakin' genius and everybody loves her. Christie's a cute little shit that could prolly get away with murder. Then there's me—the screw up who always messes up no matter how freakin' hard she tries. S'just a fact of life."

Mariah said nothing for a moment. Instead, she reached out to clasp my hand into hers.

"But you can change that, you know. Tomorrow, you'll be leaving on your journey. That's how you can prove yourself. Show the world why they don't want to mess with Alex Gordon. I know you have to find your sister, but you can still earn the badges and train for the Indigo League. I've always believed that out of the three of us, you always had the most guts to get that far. I mean, Professor Elm wanted you on the Pokedex Project."

I turned my head to look at her again. Mariah just gave me a gentle, warm smile, squeezing my hand lightly. She... had believed in me this entire time? Someone actually thought I could do something with my life?

Well, duh... She was my best friend. Of course she would. With her gone, I guess I had forgotten that. I had gotten sucked into my own misery. I had had no one to remind me of the hope in the outside world. Lala couldn't even do that for me, because she knew nothing about what was outside of Cherrygrove.

"You're... right." I pulled my hand out of hers and heaved myself up. "I'm almost outta here..."

She kept on smiling and nodded. "Didn't you want to be the Champion when we were younger? I remember you would rant and get all excited whenever Lance showed up on TV. You wanted to be just like him. Do you still have that dream?"

I looked down, at nothing in particular. "D'you... think I could do it?"

"Yes, Alex. Out of you, Emily, and me—you have by far the most drive. And no one can beat your passion. It may take some time, but I believe it's very much possible."

A tiny smile tugged at my lips as I looked back up at her. "Okay. I'm gonna try it. But... not to prove to my family that I'm not a loser. I'm gonna do it... for myself and Lala. We deserve it."

Her own smile widened. "That's the spirit, Alex!"

But then I surprised her by giving her a big, tight hug. Seriously... If I hadn't listened to Lala and agreed to talk to Mariah, I wouldn't be feeling the way I was now. I'd have to whip up a batch of berry cookies for her as a thanks, whenever I got the chance. She deserved it.

"...Thanks, Mariah."

* * *

><p>The next morning, I got up earlier than normal. I made breakfast for Lala and myself without waiting for anyone—berry pancakes with home fries and pecha smoothies. Yep, Lala got a smoothie too. Then I took a shower, put on my traveling clothes, blowdried my hair, pulled it up in my usual high pigtails on each side of my head. I lightly put on some make-up, and then checked to see if I was satisfied with my appearance, doing my best to ignore the excited furret that was jumping up and down on my bed.<p>

It had taken a lot of digging through my closet to find clothes suitable for traveling _and_ for the summer heat. I had eventually decided on a simple red tank top, dark blue jeans short shorts, black knee high socks, and hiking boots of the same color. I'd probably buy a pair of fingerless gloves once I got the chance to protect my hands. Satisfied, I walked over to my bed to pick up my bag—after brushing the furret fur off of it.

"Okay, Lala," I said. "It's time to go!"

She stopped her frolicking to sit up on her hind legs, her ears perking forward._ "Without saying goodbye?"_

"There's no real point," I muttered, pulling my pokegear out of my back pocket. "Oh, look, a text from Mariah."

_[text from Mariah Crisman]_

_are you ready to go? we'll meet you at the gate!_

After some more talking, we had decided to travel together. Mariah wanted to help me, and after discussing it with her parents, they understood the situation and though they were sad to see their daughter leave so soon, they had nothing against it. Having Mariah with me was a major relief, in all honesty. I would have someone more experienced to lean on.

_[text to Mariah Crisman]_

_ok we're leavin now. see u in a bit_

Slinging my bag onto my shoulder so the strap went across my chest, I slipped my pokegear back into my pocket. Lala hopped off of the bed. My heart was beginning to race as I was getting excited myself. I mean, finally, I was going to be able to be a real trainer! My dream was coming true.

Yeah, I had to find Sonya, too, but... I refused to let that get me down.

"You ready, Lala?" I asked, looking down at my partner.

She nodded, balling her tiny paws into fists. _"Yeah, Lexi! I've never been so ready in my life! Ooooh, I can't wait to beat Falkner's team! We've never had a real battle."_

I couldn't help but laugh. "Same. Then let's get movin'! Last one to the gate is a bucket of rotten magikarp guts!"

And so we headed off, racing all the way to the gate to meet up with Mariah and Aqua.

I had never been so happy before in my life.


	4. Underdog

**Lala Land **

* * *

><p><strong>The Past<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Underdog<strong>

* * *

><p>"Didn't your parents say they wanted you to go to the Sprout Tower and get approval from the elder?"<p>

Mariah and I had decided to take a brief break at the side of a large pond. Well, it was more like Mariah's idea. I was feeling fine, even with all the shit I was hauling around in my bag. Maybe I was trying to move too fast and she was slowing us down. Normally when I was outside, I enjoyed the scenery and the weather. But I hadn't really noticed anything this time.

"Yeah," I grumbled, uncapping my water bottle to take a swig. "They want me to 'prove myself' or whatever. Basically they don't trust me and they wanna know what the elder thinks."

She sighed, looking over at her feraligatr. "I honestly don't understand why they're so hard on you."

"That makes two of us," I muttered.

Lala's happy cries caught my attention then and I looked up to see her playing in the shallow water near the shoreline of the pond. She was jumping around, splashing water everywhere and getting herself all soaked. She looked so happy, and that made _me _happy. I wasn't the only one who had been held back. Lala had been just as trapped as me.

I was so glad she was my partner.

Getting durantsy, I pushed myself up off the rock I had been sitting on. "C'mon, we should get movin'."

"All right," Mariah said, standing up as well. "Aqua, come on."

The feraligatr reluctantly splashed out of the pond where she had been soaking. Lala, looking pretty disappointed herself, scampered out of the pond, shaking the water out of her fur as she moved. And much to my annoyance, some of the water was flicked onto me as she stopped next to me.

"_Do we have to go?"_ she whined, flicking the last remnants of water off her tail. _"I was having so much fun!"_

"I know, I know," I grumbled. "But the monks at Sprout Tower are expectin' us."

"_But... But aren't they creepy old men? Um, what's the word again? Pedo filers? What's a pedo and why do they need to be filed, anyways?"_

I groaned, slapping my forehead. This was what I was going to have to listen to the rest of the way to the city.

* * *

><p>Violet City was one of the oldest cities in Johto, second only to Ecruteak. Putting it simply, everything about the place was dark and dreary and had an old-fashioned vibe. The streets were made of gray stone, and even the Pokemon Center was painted in a dull shade of red. I think the best way to describe Violet was... it was a <em>solemn<em> place.

"I remember coming here with Emily on the first day of our journey, as trainers and not students," Mariah mused, looking around. "That... seems so far away now."

"Well, it's been five years," I muttered as we stopped in front of the Pokemon Center. "What are you gonna do while I'm at Sprout Tower?"

"Um..." She bit her bottom lip. "I'm not sure. Maybe I can go online and see if I can find anything about your sister? I mean, she's a pretty popular trainer..."

"...Yeah, go ahead, I guess," I sighed. "I doubt you'll find anythin' useful but it don't hurt to try, right?"

She nodded, smiling a little. "Right. And good luck in Sprout Tower."

I scowled, glancing down at Lala, who was playing with my shoelaces. "Thanks. With this idiot, I'm gonna need it."

The furret looked up at us, blinking her dark eyes. _"Huh? What's that? Oh oh we're leaving? Yay! I'm ready to kick bellsprout butt!"_

She raced off, leaving me to chase after her so she wouldn't get into some kind of trouble.

* * *

><p>"<em>This is Sprout Tower? It's... kinda scary."<em>

The tower loomed above us, swaying delicately in the wind, creaking with every movement. Was that really safe? Last time I checked, buildings weren't supposed to move. I liked my towers to not look like they're hula dancing, thank you very much. Ugh, did we really have to go in this place?

"...Yep," I sighed. "And to find this Elder Li guy, we hafta reach the top on our own."

Lala's ears flicked back and she gulped. _"Um, well, I can still kick bellsprout butt!"_

"That's so reassuring," I muttered under my breath.

"_Huh? What did you say, Lexi?"_

"...Nothing. Let's just get this over with."

I was about to step inside, but was stopped right in my tracks by an invisible wall. Smacking right into it, I yelped in pain, and fell back flat on my ass. A string of curse words escaped my lips. Groaning, I reached up to rub my forehead. Damn, that freaking hurt! What was that even _for_?!

"How eloquent. Your parents weren't lying."

Lala yipped in surprise, scurrying to hide behind me. I looked up to see who the hell it was that set me up like this. And just as I had figured, it was some old guy. Dressed in fancy monk robes or whatever, he had a shiny bald head and a really long white mustache. And I mean freaking long—it went past his _chin_. Quite the fashion statement—crusty old monk style.

Lala stuck her head out from behind me. _"Are you a pedo filer? So I can give you my pedos and you'll file them away?"_

I fought the urge to slap my forehead and again and silently thanked Arceus that I was the only one who could understand Lala at the moment.

"Who the hell are you? And why did I just nearly bust my head open tryin' to get inside?!"

The monk sighed, as if my words pained him. "I am Elder Li, and there has been a change of plans with your testing. Therefore, to intercept you, we had to put up a psychic wall to prevent you from entering the Tower. I am sorry if this caused you any physical harm."

Lala's ears drooped as she started to pout. _"He didn't answer my question!"_

Ignoring her for probably the millionth time today, I pulled myself back up onto my feet, dusting the dirt off my jeans. "Okay, buster, couldn't y'just have sent, I dunno, a PERSON to stop me?! I coulda broke my nose!"

"Again, you have my sincerest apologies."

...He didn't sound sorry at all. I already wasn't liking this guy and it had nothing to do with his wacky mustache. Scowling, I crossed my arms over my chest, mustering up the sourest look on my face.

"Yeah, whatever. I don't get why I even need to be _tested_. I'm just lookin' for my lost sister. Whoop dee freakin' doo. It's not like the world's gonna end or whatever."

He was quiet for a moment, clasping his hands together in a very monk-like way. "Contrary to popular belief, we may indeed be on the verge of an apocalypse."

"_W-WHAT?!"_ Lala shrieked her entire body—tail and all—going rigid. _"Please tell me it's not a zombie apocalypse! I hate zombies—or any dead or undead thing!"_

I just stared at him. He had to be joking, right? The punchline was coming. Right, right? Uh... There was no punchline. He looked dead serious. I let out a strained laugh, shaking my head and waving him off.

"Pffft, good one, Elder! Y'really got me there! Hahaha!"

"...Do I look like I am jesting, Miss Gordon?" His beady eyes had narrowed into snorlax-like slits. "This apocalypse I speak of is not what most think of. There is no prophecy, nothing supernatural, and there will be no zombies or horseman of the damned. And that is what makes it even more real."

Lala slumped forward in relief. _"Phew! I can deal with that."_

"...Okay, then what is gonna make the world end?"

"Humanity."

"...Yeah, that really clears it up," I muttered. "Look, it's always humans that screw things up. Tell me somethin' new. I mean, all that shiz that happened with Team Rocket years ago is proof enough, right?"

"Yes, Team Rocket is what started it all here in Johto and Kanto," the Elder said, nodding. "In Hoenn, it was Team Magma and Team Aqua. Sinnoh had Team Galactic. Unova had to deal with Team Plasma twice. And most recently, the incidents with Team Flare in Kalos. Humanity is the root of all evil. Pokemon have always been the innocent victims."

Lala cocked her head to the side. _"I don't know about that. Lexi is super nice to me! She's a good human! My best friend!"_

I couldn't help but look down at her a smile a little, which made her beam up at me in return.

"But not all humans are like those jerks," I said, reaching down to scratch my furret behind her ear. "Most of us love pokemon and take good care of them, right?"

"It was like that for the majority of time, yes," he agreed. "However, there has been a change in trends the past few years..."

I frowned. "What d'you mean?"

"Trainers have consistently become crueler and crueler to their pokemon in recent years. Pokemon Centers have reported increased numbers of abuse cases amongst trainers and their pokemon. Reports of pokemon attacking their trainers have also increased. Wild pokemon are also becoming much more violent."

I had no sympathy for trainers that abused their pokemon. But... _wild_ pokemon too?

"...What does this have to do with my sister?" I asked slowly.

"Nothing. This all has to do with _you_, Miss Gordon."

"What?!" I demanded incredulously. "I've never laid a finger on Lala or any other pokemon to hurt them!"

"I know, child. Relax." He chuckled briefly. "It was Professor Elm that contacted me. You were chosen to participate in the Pokedex Project, but your parents denied you that right, yes?"

"Uh... yeah?" I was still confused.

"Professor Elm has taken note of the recent incidents, and when one of his students informed him that you were finally leaving on your journey. He wants you to investigate the matter. In turn, he promises to give you your own Pokedex."

I stared at him in shock. No way... Was this for real?! Mariah... She must have said something.

"Seriously?!"

He smiled faintly, nodding. "Yes. The professor is very serious about this matter. The fate of the relationship between humans and pokemon is at stake. Professor Elm sees some sort of potential in you. Perhaps you may not be the next Champion Lyra but that does not mean you can't make a difference."

...Me? Make a difference? Maybe a couple of months earlier I would have laughed at that thought. But... did Professor Elm really think I could do something about this? There had to be someone better suited for it than me...

"...Wait a sec." I frowned. "My sister—the last time we talked, she said somethin' about an anti-pokemon movement. I didn't think nothin' of it then but... maybe it has somethin' to do with her disappearance."

Lala's ears perked up. _"Oh yeah, I forgot about that! __Gosh, this is exciting!"_

"You may have something there," he chuckled. "Nevertheless, you are to be tested to see if you do indeed have what it takes to solve this cultural problem."

Well, I obviously couldn't see what he was seeing. But I had to try, right? I had let down so many people already in my life... Maybe I could actually prove something while getting to help pokemon out. Honestly, I liked pokemon more than people, so if I was going to do this, it would be for them.

"...Okay, I'm in," I said, putting my hands on my hips. "So what's this test I gotta go through?"

If he was pleased, he sure didn't show it. "Pokemon are primal beings. They experience emotions at extremes—from the positives of joy all the way to the negatives of rage. In order to be successful in this quest, you must have an understanding of that. Only the most elite of trainers are able to bring this out in their pokemon. Pokemon are able to sense fear, and the wild ones use it to their advantage. This is why they have become more aggressive—humans are more fearful these days."

Okay... I still had no idea what the freaking test was.

"My pokemon will put you in a deep sleep. And in that dream, you must face your greatest fear."

Er, what?! My greatest fear? I didn't even know what that _was_! I was supposed to be a fearless adventurer, not some timid trainer that quaked in her boots when she came across a wild pokemon. Or maybe that wasn't the point of this whole thing...

But I really had no freaking idea what my greatest fear was. I _laughed_ in the face of danger.

"Uh, okay," I said. "Facin' my greatest fear... Dunno what that is, but I'll do it."

"_But... But that means I can't go with you!"_ Lala cried in distress._ "Please Mr. Pedo Filer! Let me go with Lexi!"_

I fought the urge to smash my head against the wall of the tower. That would put me in the hospital and I really didn't need that right now. I had a mission.

"I assume your furret is asking if she may accompany you in the dream world," Elder Li said, having taken note of my partner's consternation. "It is possible. I merely did not state it so she could chose to come on her own free will. That is the problem with trainers these days, you see. They are completely controlling their pokemon, snatching away all pretenses of freedom."

That... really pissed me off. Like, seriously?! Pokemon were living beings with minds of their own! Of _course_ they deserved the right to make their own choices! I couldn't believe there were actually people like that out there.

"_That's really mean,"_ Lala said, her ears drooping as she considered the concept._ "I'm glad you're not like that, Lexi."_

"...Yeah, she wants to go," I said, and she nodded in agreement. "Can I ask you somethin' first, Elder?"

"Of course, child," he said, once again clasping his hands together in front of himself.

"The Indigo League isn't like that, right? The gym leaders, the Elite Four, and the Champion—they don't treat their pokemon like slaves, do they?"

He nodded, much to my relief. "Yes. They are the examples everyone should be following, but alas that is not the case anymore. Champion Lyra is even attempting to address the issue but seldom are listening."

Well, at least the leaders in the trainer world weren't screwing up. But... why was nobody listening? They used to have so much influence. Our world... was changing for the worst... and I sure as hell didn't like it.

"That's freakin' stupid," I muttered. "Like, who doesn't listen to the Champion? But I guess there's nothin' she can do 'bout it without turnin' into some kinda tyrant..." I sighed, lowering my arms. "So where are we gonna take this dream test?"

He turned towards the entrance to the tower. "On the highest floor. There is no time to waste, so follow me."

The crusty old monk stepped into Sprout Tower. I took the moment to look down at Lala, who then met my gaze, her ears once again perking up. She was expecting me to say something.

"So... shit just got real." I reached up to brush my bangs away from my eyes. "Damn... what did Sonya get herself into? What have _we_ just gotten ourselves into? I just hope we don't make things worse..."

"_Don't worry, Lexi!"_ Lala exclaimed, standing tall on her hind legs. _"We just have to believe in ourselves, right? Everything will be okay! I'm sure of it!"_

...I really hoped she was right.

But her enthusiasm was contagious, and I couldn't help but laugh and smile. "Yeah, that's right. Smart as always, Lala. C'mon, let's go. That crusty old elder'll prolly get PO'd if we dawdle any longer."

"...I am right here, you know."

"SHIT."

* * *

><p>"Now relax your body. Take a deep, steady breath and close your eyes."<p>

We were now on the top floor, each of us—that is, Lala and me—sitting on our own little yoga mat or whatever the hell it was. Elder Li had had me sit cross-legged on the straw mat, like I was getting ready to meditate instead of put into a trance to fall asleep. Lala was doing her best to imitate me, but her hind legs were long enough to get even close to crossing. I was doing my best to follow his orders, but it was far from easy for me to just _relax_. Even with his noctowl using its psychic abilities to add power to his words.

Okay, Alex, you can totally do this. I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes. Relax. You can totally relax. This'll be a piece of cake.

"Your body is beginning to become heavy. Especially your eyelids. You can't bear to open them."

Damn... It was actually working. My body felt like lead, and my eyes felt like they were being held down by weights. My head began to droop and I was starting to get drowsy.

The power of psychic pokemon... was amazing.

And before I knew it, I was out cold.

* * *

><p>"Lexi! Lexiiii! You have to get up!"<p>

_Somebody was pushing on me, yelling at me in distressed tones. Ugh... I was too tired. I just wanted to sleep. Groaning, I rolled onto my stomach and pressed my face into my pillow._

"_Go away, Lala..."_

_Wait a sec... My pillow was awfully hard. And flat. And smelled like dirt._

_Then I remembered._

"_OH SHIT!"_

_I jerked up in a flailing mess of hair and limbs. Lala shrieked, having been startled by my sudden movement, and fell backwards, sending her own cascade of fur on me. Dammit, even in the dream world her fur could get everywhere!_

"Lexi, you scared me!"_ the furret whimpered after she managed to get back on her paws. _"And this place is really weird..."

_Holding back a groan, I rubbed my forehead and began to look around. She wasn't kidding. We seemed to be in some kind of forest, but everything was covered by a hazy fog, blurring my vision. Lala offered her tail to help pull me up onto my feet. I noticed that my clothes had changed a bit—I was now wearing jeans and a hoodie. Huh._

"I'm getting really bad vibes... Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"_Uh, how am _I _s'pposed to know what the dream world is like?!"_

"I don't know, it's YOUR dream world!"

_I groaned, reaching to brush one of my pigtails back. "Whatever. I haftta face my greatest fear. It must be in this forest. So... Let's get movin'!"_

_Before she could respond, I headed off._

"H-Hey! Wait for me, Lexi!"

_But barely had I left the little clearing we had been in when the landscape changed. Suddenly, I was in a hospital hallway. The fog was still there, but it was a bit clearer, making it easier to see. The white walls and floor glared at me with such brightness I almost felt like I needed sunglasses. And as much as I hated hospitals, I was pretty sure they weren't my greatest fear. But I had to find out why I was here..._

"...Are we going in?"_ Lala asked hesitantly._

"_Yeah. We're goin' in."_

"Into the Human Center?"

"_...It's called a hospital."_

"Oh, who cares?!"

"_I care."_

"You're just being a jerk, Lexi."

_With our bickering over with, I started walking down the hallway. Lala scampered after me, staying practically glued to my side. The farther we went, the edgier I got. This hallway was awfully long. That was when I started to hear voices. They were very faint, so I couldn't make out what they were saying. But we had to be getting closer to the source because they got louder as we walked along. I had a feeling... I didn't want to find out what was being talked about. _

_...It had to do with my greatest fear, didn't it?_

_Suddenly I wasn't feeling so courageous anymore. _

_But I had no choice. I had to keep going. I _had_ to prove myself. _

_We finally came to the end of the hallway. There was a single, ominous door. The voices were clearly coming from behind it. I felt Lala tug on my hoodie, so I looked down at her._

"Do we have to go in there?"_ she whimpered, her ears flicked back._

"_...Yeah, we do."_

_To be honest, I was relieved that Lala was with me right now. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to face this—whatever it was—without her. She was my best friend and partner. We were two peas in a pod, as Sonya had once said. _

_Sonya... I wondered if she was really okay right now, wherever she was. _

_...Dammit, I was getting distracted. Pushing those thoughts out of my mind, I stepped up to the door and opened it. And as soon as I did that, I saw two familiar faces having at it, the voices clear as day now._

_My parents were arguing, standing in front of a bed. I immediately recognized the scene. It was from the time I had run away and had been viciously attacked by a wild ratatta. My ten year old self was laying in that bed, probably sedated or something. But why were my parents fighting?_

"_I've said this once, and I'll say it a thousand times!" Mom was yelling. "That girl was trouble from the moment she was born! We should just get rid of her and be done with it!"_

"_You know we can't do that, Amelia," Dad sighed. "She's our _daughter_. Besides, if we tried sending her to a boarding school she's bound to get expelled."_

"_You don't know how much of a relief it was that Christine turned out like Sonya," Mom continued in exasperation. "But we can't keep on living like this, Michael! I can't raise a child I don't love."_

_...Wait, what?_

"_I know, dear," Dad sighed again, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I want her gone as much as you do but it's just impossible."_

_My parents... really didn't _love_ me?_

"Oh, berries!"_ Lala gasped, her eyes wide as saucers. _"Is this for real?!"

_I... always had had that feeling, but... who ever heard of a parent that didn't love their kid? But before I could continue to try to process what I had just learned, the scene faded away, revealing a room in a Pokemon Center. There were two twin sized beds in it, and on those beds sat ten year old versions of Mariah and Emily. By the furniture in the room, I figured they were in the Violet City Center. Mariah was feeding her baby totodile berries while Emily flopped back down on her bed with her chikorita in her arms._

"_Gee, I'm so glad we're free!" she sighed loudly. "Dealing with Alex is such a pain."_

_Mariah looked up. "Oh, I know. She's such a brat."_

"_Pretending to be her friend was such a drain." Emily reached up to scratch her chikorita behind its leaf. "Half the time she'd scare off all the boys too! Like, seriously, Mariah—how did you _deal_ with her all these years?"_

"_I was... desperate for a friend. And she was the only one to give me the time of day."_

"_Humph. Well, I say good riddance and hello freedom!"_

_The scenery flashed and once again we were in the forest. But... I couldn't move._

_Was that... what they really thought of me? They were just pretending to be my friend? They actually hated my guts this entire time? My sisters hadn't even been shown but I didn't need to see that because I already knew. Sonya was obvious enough, but Christine was probably faking it just like my so called friends._

"_What's next?" I said bitterly. "You too, Lala?"_

"Huh?"_ The furret looked up at me with wide eyes. _"No way! You're my best friend, Lexi. I wouldn't lie about that. If I hated you, I would have left ages ago." _She padded up to me, standing up to her full height so we were eye to eye._ "That's your greatest fear, right? That no one likes you..."

_I sighed heavily, looking away. "...Guess it is."_

"But... this is YOUR dream world. Dreams aren't real."

_She... had a point. I looked back at her, opening my mouth to say something but nothing came out. I couldn't find my voice._

"I don't think any of this is real, Lexi. It's just your mind messing with you, making up these nightmares to try to break you. I mean, you're taking a TEST."_ She smiled at me cheerfully. _"It's just a bunch of nightmares! Your parents love you, and so do Son-Son and Chrissy. And there's no way Mar-Mar and Emmy don't like you either! That's a bunch of bullpoopie if you ask me!" _The furret edged closer to me, wrapping her plush tail around me and nuzzling my cheek affectionately. _"And I KNOW I love you, Lexi! You're my bestie, partner, and trainer! And that makes you the awesomest human alive!"

_Even in this dream, I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. "Lala... Thanks."_

_I pulled her into a bear hug, making her giggle loudly as she pressed her face into the crook of my neck. Seriously—I had no idea what I would do without Lala. And I was glad we would be going on this journey together._

* * *

><p>I was back in the Pokemon Center, in my room with Mariah. I was currently brushing Lala and dumping all the shedded fur in a huge garbage bag. Night had fallen and we were getting ready to crash for the night. Mariah was texting someone on her pokegear, looking a bit frustrated.<p>

"...Who you talkin' to?" I couldn't help but ask.

She jumped a little, startled that I had spoken to her. "Oh, um.. My ex. We decided to try to be friends again but it's not going so well..."

"You had a girlfriend?" I asked in shock.

Her cheeks flushed, and she tucked in her chin. "Um, yeah... Someone I met last year. She asked me out a few months ago, but we broke up a couple of weeks ago..."

...Dammit... Even _Mariah_ had dated somebody!

"_Ow! That was really rough, Lexi!"_ Lala yelped.

I had accidentally ground her brush into her skin while doing another stroke. Dammit... Lala was the last person I wanted to take my frustration out on.

"Sorry, Lala," I sighed, lifting the brush and then checking to see if she was bleeding. Phew, she wasn't. "I didn't mean to."

"_I know."_ She gave me a nudge on the shoulder. _"__But I can smell your sexual frustration."_

"W-What?!"

Mariah gave us a puzzled look. "What did she say?"

"N-Nothing! Shut up, Lala!"

"_But it's true,"_ she said, innocent as ever. _"It makes your lavender scent very... _pungent_."_

"...It's time for bed."

I put the brush away, tied up the fur bag, and then flopped back down on the bed. Lala let out a protest, while Mariah just stared at us before sending one last text and turning off the light, plunging us into darkness. We did have a busy day tomorrow. Not only would we be looking into the stuff that Mariah had discovered about my sister, but I needed to catch my first pokemon and do some training for the battle against Falkner.

The last thing I needed to worry about was how... Ugh, I was so not thinking about this.

I loved Lala to death... but she just _not_?


End file.
